Palynology of a Holocene marine transgressive sequence, lower Mulgrave River valley, north‐east Queensland

A sediment core from the lower Mulgrave River flood plain in north‐east Queensland was examined using standard pollen analysis techniques to investigate vegetation and sea level changes during and since the Holocene marine transgression. Saltwater penetrated the Mulgrave River to the core site in the early Holocene, with the consequent development of riverside mangrove forests dominated by Sonneratia lanceolata, a community not previously recorded in Australian pollen sequences. From about 7000 to 6000 years ago, Rhizophora forest was the dominant vegetation community around the site. During this period, vertical sedimentation kept pace with, or at times exceeded, the rate of sea level rise. As sea level stabilized, about 6000 years ago, continued sediment accumulation led to the development of upper‐intertidal Ceriops/Bruguiera forest and then freshwater swamp forest. The vegetation changes in this latter part of the sequence reflect the present seaward to landward vegetation zonation in the area.